In the previous round of INBRE funding, development of state-of-the-art facilities and support for entry-level junior investigators were provided at primarily undergraduate-based partner institutions to create a foundation where students could participate in cutting-edge biomedical research. A major emphasis for the research among partners is to investiage the unique resources Hawaiʻi has to offer with respect to marine and plant life for discovery of natural products with potential application as biomedicines. A second emphasis is to investigate health disparities arising in Hawaiʻi’s diverse population.

“Students in our program, who may be the first in their family to attend college, now have the exciting opportunity to pursue biomedical research as a career,” said Nichols.